Recipes

5 Pasta Salad Recipes That Will Make Your Summer Meals a Sensation

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

Cooling off in the hot Texas summer is a skill many have, and much of us try to hone. We do so by swimming, tubing, relaxing in the air conditioning, or turning on some fans and sitting on our sofa. We can also do so with some cool and refreshing summer meals that don’t require a lot of time, effort, or cooking! Here are five pasta salads that will help you get through the heat and not melt away. You can even pre-cook the pasta in the early morning hours when it’s cooler, and mix these salads when you return home from work!

1. Jalapeño Popper Macaroni Salad

Five Pasta Salads Recipes That Will Make Your Summer Meals a Sensation

Photo: Facebook/WonkyWonderful

A salad form of one of those fantastic appetizers we know and love can’t be a bad thing! Made with roasted jalapeno peppers, cheddar cheese, and bacon, this recipe is a wonderful version of a pasta salad that can sure get your juices flowing, and heat you up before cooling you down! Get the recipe at WonkyWonderful.

2. Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

13307450_1322433674439566_6332282651138290079_n

Photo: Facebook/Spend With Pennies

Dill pickle lovers rejoice! Wherever there’s a recipe that can incorporate this ingredient, it’s sure to be a good one, not to mention refreshing! The creamy pasta mixture and the contrast of the crunchy pickle are sure to be a success at your supper table. Grab the recipe at Spend With Pennies.

3. Bacon and Avocado Macaroni Salad

73a73d3723fcc75d0631ba72a4189fc1

Photo: Pinterest/damndelicious.net

Who doesn’t love avocado in Texas?! Well maybe there’s one or two of you, but you have to admit that this mixture of the soft (and healthy) avocado combined with the bacon in a wonderful lemon-thyme dressing really makes this dish tick! Your family and friends will be talking about this for a while…or you may simply want to enjoy a dish of this alone on the porch to kick back and cool off. Either way, get the recipe at Damn Delicious.

4. Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

ebcc60b80478339b5ce99014659508be

Photo: Pinterest/cookingclassy.com

If you’re already a fan of Caesar salad, then you’ll most definitely love this creamier version that will lend a crunch as well as a coolness to your meal. Same Caesar flavorings, protein from the chicken, and delicious pasta to round out the dish and fill you up without a hot supper to slave over. Find the recipe at Cooking Classy.

5. Mediterranean Pasta Salad

c9ac140cd8d470d1e37e2b46c6391183

Photo: Pinterest/Ali Ebright (Gimme Some Oven)

This pasta salad features Greek stylings and flavor that’s tough to beat. And on a hot summer day, you’ll want something delicious and enjoyable as opposed to bland and boring! The crumbling feta in this mixture pairs nicely with the juicy tomatoes and olives, and the dressing definitely pulls it all together. Get your hands on the recipe at Gimme Some Oven.